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Blair prepares for U.S. Open on PGA TOUR Canada

Zac Blair is following in his father's footsteps by playing in the U.S. Open. (PGA TOUR/Chris Condon)

Zac Blair is in his first year of professional golf after an All-American career at BYU. Blair is 17th on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica's order of merit after posting six top-25s -- including three top-six finishes -- in seven starts. He also is a PGA TOUR Canada member. He qualified for his first U.S. Open on Monday, following in the footsteps of his father, James, who played the 1981 U.S. Open. PGA TOUR Canada's Brian Decker caught up with Blair to talk about playing at Pinehurst No. 2:

Q: Your dad, James Blair, played in the 1981 U.S. Open. What’s it like to play in your first U.S. Open after him?

A: It’s definitely cool, and something I always wanted to accomplish. It’s nice that it’s finally happening. He just told me to go out and have fun. After I got in and called him, he was really excited. It’s going to be fun having him out there.

Q: It’s your first year as a professional and you’re playing in your first U.S. Open. What kind of goals are you setting for yourself this week?

A: I just want to enjoy it. Obviously I want to go out and try to get a good game plan in place, try to play solid, make the cut and try to get in contention on the weekend. But you have to enjoy it. You have to go out there and have fun or you’re not going to do well. If you go out there and enjoy it and have a good attitude, playing well and having fun kind of go hand-in-hand.

Q: This is the biggest event you will have played in your career. What kind of other experiences are you looking to draw on?

A: This will definitely be the biggest event I’ve played in, but the U.S. Amateurs I played in were big events. All the events I’ve been playing on the NEC Series – PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Canada have been pretty big events too. I’m excited for the experience.”

Q: Is there anyone you’ll try to seek out for advice during the week?

A: I’ll try to talk to Johnny Miller a bit. He went to BYU and his son is an assistant coach there, so I’ll see what he has to say. He’s definitely one of the more knowledgeable people in the game. We would see him a couple of times a year at BYU – he was great about helping us out and giving advice. He contributed a lot to the program.”

Q: Do you remember watching the U.S. Open either of the last two times it was at Pinehurst (1999 and 2005)?

A: Yeah, for sure both of them. They were both really special. You grow up watching those events and being really into them, and you remember those special events. Obviously there’s a lot of history at the course so it’s going to be a really special experience.